Search form

Softball Signs Four to National Letters of Intent

LOS ANGELES - Four high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at UCLA, head coach Sue Enquist announced on Wednesday. Whitney Baker (Vancouver, Wash.), Julie Burney (Placentia, Calif.), Megan Langenfeld (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Kaila Shull (Stockton, Calif.) are scheduled to begin school at UCLA in the fall of 2006 and will debut in the 2007 softball season.

Whitney Baker is a pitcher from Skyview High School in Vancouver, Wash., who is expected to contribute immediately for the Bruins. 'Whitney has great versatility because she has command of several different pitches,' said Enquist. 'I expect her to do great things in the circle at UCLA, and she will be a great complement to the upperclass leadership of Lisa Dodd and Anjelica Selden.'

Baker was named a third-team All-American by the NFCA following her sophomore year at Skyview, as well as pitching the Storm to the Class 4A West-Central regional title last season, including a 17-strikeout game during the regional tournament as well as a 10-strikeout one-hitter in the championship game.

'Julie Burney is one of the best players at third base coming out of high school this year,' said Enquist. Burney will graduate from El Dorado High School and plays ASA with SoCal Athletics, one of the top under-18 teams in the area. In 2005, El Dorado HS went 24-3-1 with a 9-1-0 record in the Century League.

'Julie has a balanced attack, as she is solid defensively and a threat at the plate. She will be expected to come in and produce for us immediately.'

An All-State first-team selection by calhisports.com last June, Megan Langenfeld is a P/1B out of Centennial High School in Bakersfield, Calif. As a sophomore, Langenfeld hit .549 with a .902 slugging percentage for the Golden Hawks while pitching 206 innings and recording 327 strikeouts for a 0.20 ERA. A straight-A student, Langenfeld plays ASA softball for Worth Firecrackers Gold.

'Megan is an outstanding hitter who can turn on the ball for power but can also go to the opposite field,' said Enquist. 'She has the ability to come in here and be a clutch performer offensively.'

Kaila Shull, a C/1B at Jim Elliot High School in Lodi, Calif., hit .620 with 59 RBI in 26 games played at Elliot during her junior season in 2005. Shull had 18 multi-hit games and seven stolen bases for the Eagles last spring.

'Kaila's greatest strength is her athleticism,' said Enquist. 'She is capable of playing multiple positions with a majority of her time spent behind the plate. She has great leadership skills, a terrific work ethic and a strong love for the game.'

UCLA finished the 2005 season as the NCAA runner-up. The Bruins are scheduled to begin their 2006 season on Feb. 9, at the Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego.